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Energy Flow and Material Cycling Through The Ecosystem

Energy flows through ecosystems in one direction, entering as solar radiation and being lost as heat. Producers like plants convert solar energy into chemical energy through photosynthesis, which is then transferred to consumers through food webs. At each trophic level, some energy is lost as heat. Nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus also cycle through ecosystems, with nitrogen fixed from the atmosphere by bacteria and phosphorus released from weathering rocks and returned via decomposition. Overall, energy flows linearly through ecosystems while matter cycles continuously.

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Jaffy Bustamante
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293 views

Energy Flow and Material Cycling Through The Ecosystem

Energy flows through ecosystems in one direction, entering as solar radiation and being lost as heat. Producers like plants convert solar energy into chemical energy through photosynthesis, which is then transferred to consumers through food webs. At each trophic level, some energy is lost as heat. Nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus also cycle through ecosystems, with nitrogen fixed from the atmosphere by bacteria and phosphorus released from weathering rocks and returned via decomposition. Overall, energy flows linearly through ecosystems while matter cycles continuously.

Uploaded by

Jaffy Bustamante
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

Energy Flow and Material Cycling through the Ecosystem

FLOW OF ENERGY IN THE ECOSYSTEM


An ecosystem consists of all the organisms living in a community, as well as the abiotic (non-
living) factors with which they interact.
• An ecosystem can be visualized as a functional unit of nature, where living organisms
interact among themselves and also with the surrounding physical environment.
- Ecosystem dynamics involve two main processes: energy flow and chemical cycling
- Physical laws govern energy flow and chemical cycling in ecosystems
o Conservation of Energy (first law of thermodynamics)
o Energy enters from solar radiation and is lost as heat

- Conservation of matter - Chemical elements are continually recycled within


ecosystems
• Ecosystems range from a small, such as an aquarium, to a large, such as a lake or forest.
- Energy flows through ecosystems and matter cycles within them
- Ecosystems are open systems, absorbing energy and mass and releasing heat and
waste products

Energy for life begins with the SUN


• Energy is the ability to do work.
• Energy flow is the amount of energy that moves through a food chain.
- When you push on the first of a series of lined-up dominoes, the energy from your
push is transmitted from one domino to the next. Your push represents the energy that
started the movement. This energy moves along the line as each domino topples into
the next.
• The energy input, or energy that enters the ecosystem, is measured in Joules or calories.
• The energy flow is also called calorific flow.
• The largest source of energy for an ecosystem is the sun.
• Energy that is not used in an ecosystem is eventually lost as heat.
- Energy and nutrients are passed around through the food chain, when one organism
eats another organism.
- Any energy remaining in a dead organism is consumed by decomposers.

Explanation

Explanation

Food chain and Food web


- Food chains and food webs model feeding relationships in ecosystems. They show
how energy and materials are transferred between trophic level when consumers eat
producers or other organisms.
- Energy moves through an ecosystem in a single direction. First it flows from the Sun
to autotrophs, or producers. Then it flows from producers to consumers. Energy never
flows backward from consumers to producers.
- In each case, energy is passed on from one trophic level to the next trophic level and
each time some energy is lost as heat into the environment.

- This is due to the fact that each organism must use some energy that they received
from other organisms in order to survive.

- The top consumer of a food chain will be the organism that receives the least amount
of energy

Nitrogen Fixation

- In this stage, nitrogen moves from the atmosphere into the soil. Earth’s atmosphere
contains a huge pool of nitrogen gas (N 2). But this nitrogen is “unavailable” to plants,
because the gaseous form cannot be used directly by plants without undergoing a
transformation. To be used by plants, the N 2 must be transformed through a process
called nitrogen fixation. Fixation converts nitrogen in the atmosphere into forms that
plants can absorb through their root systems.

Nitrification
- In this process, the ammonia is converted into nitrate by the presence of bacteria in
the soil. Nitrites are formed by the oxidation of ammonia with the help
of Nitrosomonas bacteria species. Later, the produced nitrites are converted into
nitrates by Nitrobacter. This conversion is very important as ammonia gas is toxic for
plants.

Ammonification
- When plants or animals die, the nitrogen present in the organic matter is released
back into the soil. The decomposers, namely bacteria or fungi present in the soil,
convert the organic matter back into ammonium. This process of
decomposition produces ammonia, which is further used for other biological
processes.
Denitrification
- Denitrification is the process in which the nitrogen compounds make their way back
into the atmosphere by converting nitrate (NO3-)  into gaseous nitrogen (N). This
process of the nitrogen cycle is the final stage and occurs in the absence of oxygen.
Denitrification is carried out by the denitrifying bacterial
species- Clostridium and Pseudomonas, which will process nitrate to gain oxygen and
gives out free nitrogen gas as a byproduct.

Steps of Phosphorus Cycle


Following are the important steps of phosphorus cycle:

1. Weathering
2. Absorption by Plants
3. Absorption by Animals
4. Return to the Environment through Decomposition

Weathering

Phosphorus is found in the rocks in abundance. That is why the phosphorus cycle starts in the
earth’s crust. The phosphate salts are broken down from the rocks. These salts are washed
away into the ground where they mix in the soil.

Absorption by Plants

The phosphate salts dissolved in water are absorbed by the plants. However, the amount of
phosphorus present in the soil is very less. That is why the farmers apply phosphate fertilizers
on agricultural land.

The aquatic plants absorb inorganic phosphorus from lower layers of water bodies. Since
phosphate salts do not dissolve in water properly, they affect plant growth in aquatic
ecosystems.

Absorption by Animals

The animals absorb phosphorus from the plants or by consuming plant-eating animals. The rate
of the phosphorus cycle is faster in plants and animals when compared to rocks.

Return of Phosphorus Back to the Ecosystem

When the plants and animals die they are decomposed by microorganisms. During this process,
the organic form of phosphorus is converted into the inorganic form, which is recycled to soil
and water.
Soil and water will end up in sediments and rocks, which will again release phosphorus by
weathering. Thus, the phosphorus cycle starts over.

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